The Early Church

 

When Jesus started His public ministry, He did not call the learned Rabbis. He called fishermen, tax collectors, shepherds, farmers, shopkeepers... the common man.

During the first three centuries of Christianity, the Church met on the Sabbath in small groups in a home, sang hymns (especially the Psalms), read from the Scriptures, and kept the feasts of the Lord. Sometimes someone may have a word to share, or there was group discussions about the letters the Churches would receive from one of the Apostles. In the early Church, breaking bread referred to the everyday act of sharing meals together in one another's homes. The Apostles appointed able men to care for the flock. That was it... no paid clergy, no earthly headquarters, just Brethren seeking the Kingdom of God.

As false teachers begin to creep into the congregations, they led people away from the doctrines of the Apostles. Wolves in Sheep's clothing formed their own Churches with their own doctrines. The main organization that emerged was the Roman Catholic Church. Then in the 16th century came the protestant reformation that spawned thousands of church organizations. Organized religion hijacked Christianity and turned it into a hodge-podge of confusing doctrines and practices. 

Anyone who wants to follow Jesus Christ must go back to the way the early Church worshipped. As it is written: Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. ~ Isaiah 58:12 

In the New Testament, the concept of a "foundation" refers to the core truths, teachings, and spiritual realities upon which the Christian faith and the Church are built. 

The writers of the New Testament use the architectural image of a foundation to show how a believer's life and the global community of faith can stay strong against hard times. 

1. Jesus Christ as the Ultimate Foundation

The most important foundation in the New Testament is the person of Jesus Christ Himself. 

• The Only Foundation: In 1 Corinthians 3:11, the Apostle Paul explicitly says that no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 
• The Chief Cornerstone: In ancient building, the cornerstone was the first stone laid. It had to be perfectly square because every other wall aligned with it. The New Testament calls Jesus the chief cornerstone. Without Him, the structure of the faith would fall apart. 

2. The Apostolic and Prophetic Foundation

While Jesus is the ultimate bedrock, the New Testament also attributes a foundational role to the people who shared His message with the world. 

• Spreading the Truth: Ephesians 2:20 teaches that the household of God is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone."
• The New Jerusalem: In the Book of Revelation, the vision of the heavenly city features twelve foundation stones, and on them are written the names of the twelve apostles of Jesus. 

3. Obedience as a Personal Foundation

Jesus used the idea of a foundation to teach people how to live out their faith daily. 

• The Wise and Foolish Builders: In Matthew 7:24–27, Jesus told a famous story about two men. One built his house on solid rock, and the other built on shifting sand*. When heavy storms and floods hit, only the house on the rock survived. *organized religion is shifting sand
• Hearing and Doing: Jesus clarified that the person who builds on the rock is the one who hears His words and actually puts them into practice. Mental agreement is not enough; active obedience is what makes a life unshakable. 

4. The Six Foundational Teachings

The New Testament also outlines a list of basic doctrines that make up the "starting line" of Christian learning. According to Hebrews 6:1–2, these elemental foundations include: 

• Repentance from dead works (turning away from sin)
• Faith toward God
• Instruction about baptisms
• The laying on of hands
• The resurrection of the dead
• Eternal judgment 

The author of Hebrews explains that once these fundamental truths are firmly in place, believers should move forward into deeper spiritual maturity. There is no shame in admitting your Church or your pastor does not have all the answers.

Worship is far more than joining a Church, singing in the choir, and listening to a preacher. It's a lifestyle of reverence, obedience, and total surrender to God. It takes two primary forms: specific acts of praise (like singing and prayer) and everyday acts of love and service. Meeting with other Believers is a good thing, but don't get the idea God only loves "your Church."

Things Your Church Cannot Do

 

 

Fair Tax

 

 

 

The Fair Tax Act proposes replacing nearly all federal income, corporate, payroll, and estate taxes in the United States with a single, national retail sales tax. First-year enactment (like the proposed 2023/2025 legislation) targets an inclusive tax rate of 23% on all new goods and services. [1]

Core Mechanisms of the Fair Tax Act

• Abolishes the IRS: Eliminates individual and corporate income taxes, payroll (Social Security/Medicare) taxes, and the estate and gift tax, theoretically doing away with the need for the Internal Revenue Service. 
• National Retail Sales Tax: Shifts the tax burden from earning to spending. Consumers would pay a federal consumption tax only when purchasing new goods or services. Used items and previously taxed properties are generally exempt.
• Prebate System: To prevent the sales tax from disproportionately hurting lower-income households, the act includes a monthly "prebate" (a flat advance payment) for every registered household to cover the tax on basic necessities up to the federal poverty level.

 Learn More

14th Amendment

 

In June 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to uphold birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment. The decision rejected a presidential executive order that attempted to restrict automatic citizenship for children born in the U.S. to parents who were in the country unlawfully or temporarily. 

 

This U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the 14th Amendment "birthright citizenship" makes it legal for two wrongs to make a right, i.e. two illegal aliens to make an U.S. citizen. The High Court conveniently ignored "subject to the jurisdiction." Illegals are not citizens, they are law breakers from the get go and are subject to immediate deportation under the U.S. Constitution. 

The law that applies to illegal immigration is Title 8 of the Constitution. Activists Judges, who are appointed, work harder trying to remove Trump, who We the People elected, than they do removing drug dealers, murderers, rapists, and terrorists. Liberal Judges, Mayors of “sanctuary cities”, and politicians who support them are breaking the law under Title 8 of the Constitution by aiding and abetting illegal aliens. 

Fourteenth Amendment

Section 1

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Section 2

Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice-President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.

Section 3

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Section 4

The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

Section 5

The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article. Note: Congress shall have power to enforce, not judges.

 

Has the Court unwittingly given Trump an avenue to void the National Debt under Section 4?

 

With the election of Obama the Democrats have been in insurrection and rebellion to the Constitution. Since 2009 under Obama and Biden over 30 trillion dollars was added to the National Debt. For over a century, the Federal Reserve has operated as a shadow government — controlling interest rates, printing debt-based currency, and orchestrating booms and busts while remaining above the law. In 2025, the Fed has become even darker. It isn’t serving America. It’s serving Davos. The World Economic Forum (WEF) is also known as the Davos Forum, the execution arm of the globalist Great Reset.

The numbers tell the story: over $2 trillion in deficit spending, $1 trillion in interest payments, and mortgage rates so high that the American Dream has collapsed. Meanwhile, Wall Street, Black Rock, and the WEF feast on the spoils — the Fed doesn’t serve the people. It serves a global criminal cartel. 

If President Trump is able to replace the Fed and abolish the IRS, Americans will become wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. Let's push for the FairTax and pray that God will forgive our sins and heal our land.

 

Learn More About Fair Tax

Sabbath Debate

 

 

by Guest Contributor Dwayne Johnson

Consider what happened on Sunday—the first day of the week:

 

• Jesus rose from the dead Saturday night at the end of three days and three nights in the tomb and revealed Himself early Sunday morning. (Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-9; Luke 24:1-7; John 20:1). The women worshiped the risen Christ, and His resurrection became the foundation of Christian worship.

• Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene on Sunday.(John 20:11-18). She recognized her risen Lord and honored Him in worship.

• Jesus appeared to the other women on Sunday. (Matthew 28:9-10). They "came to Him, clasped His feet and worshiped Him."

• Jesus appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus on Sunday. (Luke 24:13-35). Their hearts burned within them as they recognized the risen Christ and returned rejoicing.

• Jesus appeared Sunday evening to the gathered disciples (John 20:19-23). The disciples were assembled together, the risen Christ stood in their midst, and they rejoiced in His presence—a gathering centered on the worship of the risen Lord.

• Eight days later (again the first day of the week), Jesus appeared to the disciples with Thomas present (John 20:26-29). Thomas responded by worshiping Jesus, declaring, "My Lord and my God!"

Then consider Pentecost is always on a Sunday in May—fifty days after the Feast of Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:15-16):

• Peter preached the Gospel to the people who were gathered together on Pentecost Sunday. About 3,000 people were baptized.

• The Holy Spirit was poured out from heaven on the Day of Pentecost - Sunday

• The New Testament church was publicly established on Sunday.

• The believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayers—all centered on the worship of the risen and exalted Christ.

And do not overlook this remarkable fact:

Jesus rose on the Feast of Firstfruits, which also falls on Sunday. Paul later declared, "Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:20). Even the feast itself pointed to Him.

So no, Jesus did not spend forty days making a verbal announcement that the Sabbath was abolished. Instead, God filled the first day of the week with the greatest redemptive events in history:

• The risen Jesus revealed on Sunday.

• Jesus received worship on Sunday.

• Jesus repeatedly appeared to His disciples on Sunday.

• Jesus accepted Thomas' Sunday worship as "My Lord and my God."

• The Holy Spirit was poured out on Sunday.

• Three thousand were baptized on Sunday.

• The New Testament church was born on Sunday.

These are not papal traditions. They are biblical events. No one claims Jesus spent forty days saying, "The Sabbath has been changed to Sunday." The real question is, Why did God choose the first day of the week to reveal the risen Christ, receive worship, pour out the Holy Spirit, and inaugurate the New Covenant church?

Every day is the right day to worship the Savior. Keeping the weekly Sabbath and the annual Sabbaths are reminders of God love, mercy, and forgiveness. The day you meet will other Believers a matter of choice. The Sabbath is a day of rest after working six days. It's a gift and a blessing from our Heavenly Father.

Paul wrote in the Book of Romans: 

Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.~ Romans 14:4-6

In other words, mind your own business. Stop judging and debating who's "right and who's wrong." Stop worshiping a "day" and worship the One who created the Days.

You are cordially invited to share your Christian experience with Renew Your Strength Bible Study Group

 

The purpose of this post is to get people to think about what they believe and why they believe it, not debate who's right or wrong. To learn the revealed truth of God we must know and understand the true meaning of the words God inspired to be written. Use Strong's Concordance to check the original word before it was translated. Do your own research, make up your own mind, rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you. 

 

The Good Shepherd

 

Things your Church cannot do:

1. Give you the holy spirit

2. Give you good health

3. Give you salvation

4. Give you eternal life

Things your Church can do:

1. Teach you false doctrines

2. Pass the collection plate

Things Jesus Can Give You For Free

1. Give you His unconditional love

2. Give you Truth

3. Give you knowledge

4. Give you wisdom

5. Give you peace of mind

6. Give you the fruit of the spirit

7. Give you the holy spirit

8. Give you a guardian angel

9. Give you salvation

10. Give you eternal life

This is only the short list, as it is written: "And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." Amen. ~ John 21:25

Millions of Christians worldwide read the same Bible, worship the same God, and believe in the same Savior - yet will not fellowship with another church group. The difference between a Church member and a Disciple of Christ is: a Church member follows the doctrines of their denomination, a Disciple follows Jesus Christ. ~ 1 John 2:3-6 

Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd, my Sheep hear my voice and follow me." The hireling shepherds tell their sheep not to fellowship with other sheep. They say, "We are the good purebred sheep, those other sheep are spotted and bad, have nothing to do with them."

This is nothing new. From the beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ, men have led sheep away from the Good Shepherd's flock. 1 Corinthians 1:12: Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.”

Acts 7:38 tells us the ekklesia, assembly or church was founded in the wilderness centuries before Pentecost. The Church has always been the people who follow Christ, not organizations. Pentecost in the New Testament was the giving of the holy spirit, not the founding of a new religion, or the Church of Christ, or the Catholic Church, or any other organization. As it is written: The general assembly of God and church of the first-born are registered in heaven (not a corporation registered on earth)  ~ Hebrews 12:23.

It is good to meet with other Believers, but don't get the idea that your Church has a franchise on God or a monopoly on the truth.

Jesus/Yahshua is the only person qualified to give you the unvarnished truth. Listen to Him. To organized religion it seems right to incorporate a Church name, have an earthly headquarters, put up a building, hire a preacher, and go into business, but what seems right may not be right. ~ Proverbs 14:12

These "one and only churches" remind me of Elijah who said to God, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; and I alone am left who serves you. God answered (paraphrased), "Elijah, don't kid yourself, I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to organized religion (protestantism) and every mouth that has not kissed the big toe of St. Peter's statue or the Pope's feet" (paganism). KJV reads sightly different but the gist is the same. ~ 1 Kings 19:14-18

Churchianity says if you are not a member of our "one and only true church," you have no hope of salvation. Jesus says in Mark 9:38-41..."if they are not against us, they are on our side." Was Cornelius a member of any church? Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation (or denomination) whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him." ~ Acts 10:34-35

And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one Shepherd. ~John 10:16. This will come to pass when Jesus returns and sets us all straight. Meantime, we are instructed to love one another. Love does not mean we agree 100% on every doctrine, it means we do not condemn someone just because they are not a member of "our church."

Today, under the New Covenant, God has reserved many millions of zealous people all over the world to be citizens of His Kingdom. Does your Pastor teach the Gospel of the Kingdom?

Christian Martyr

 

 

You Think You Have it Rough? Try being a Christian in 1527

Michael Sattler (c. 1490 – May 20, 1527) was a prominent German monk who became an influential, first-generation leader of the Anabaptist movement during the Radical Reformation. He is most famous for his leadership in drafting the Schleitheim Confession, which provided core doctrinal stability to early Anabaptist churches, and for his brutal execution as a Christian martyr. 

Early Life and Conversion

• Monastic Background: Born in Staufen, Germany, he joined the Benedictine order and eventually became the prior (second-in-command) of St. Peter's Monastery. 
• Scriptural Study: He learned Greek and Hebrew, which allowed him to study the biblical epistles of Paul directly. This research led him to reject Catholic teachings on monasticism and salvation. 
• Radical Shift: He left the monastery around 1525 during the German Peasants' War, married a former Beguine nun named Margaretha, and joined the emerging Anabaptists. 

Structural Legacy: The Schleitheim Confession

By 1526, the infant Anabaptist movement was splintering due to persecution and wildly varying theological ideas. In February 1527, Sattler presided over a secret conference of Swiss Brethren in Schleitheim. He guided them to ratify the Schleitheim Confession, which defined the definitive pillars of "free church" theology: 

• Believer's Baptism: Rejection of infant baptism in favor of adult baptism.
• The Ban: A system of fraternal accountability and excommunication.
• Strict Pacifism: Complete nonresistance, avoiding the sword, and refusing military involvement.
• Separation from the World: A refusal to take civic oaths or participate in secular government. 

Trial and Brutal Martyrdom 

Sattler's radical stance on the separation of church and state drew fierce pushback from both Roman Catholic and mainstream Protestant authorities. In May 1527, Austrian Catholic authorities arrested him and his followers in Horb, Germany. 

At his public trial in Rottenburg am Neckar, Sattler acted as the defense spokesman. Refusing a lawyer, he deftly used Scripture to answer charges regarding his rejection of the Catholic mass, infant baptism, and civic oaths. 

He was convicted of heresy and treason. On May 20 (or 21), 1527, he was subjected to a horrific execution: 

• His tongue was cut out.
• His flesh was ripped with red-hot iron tongs seven times.
• He was burned alive at the stake.
• Just days later, his wife Margaretha refused to recant and was executed by drowning in the Neckar River. 

Sattler's steadfast composure during torture deeply moved onlookers and solidified his legacy as a foundational figure for modern peaceful Anabaptist traditions like the Mennonites, Amish, and Hutterite.

This is how organized religion handled descent in those days. Now, Churchianity disfellowships/excommunicates  you and destroys your reputation. They forbid members from any contact with you. 

Isaiah 59 Describes Organized Religion

 

You Are Cordially Invited to share your Christian experience with Renew Your Strength Bible Study Group... https://mlf1070.blogspot.com/2021/01/renew.html

 

Blood on the Mercy Seat

 

 

Guest Contributor, Yael

 

Such clarity and TRUTH. A MUST Read....yes, long, but worthwhile.

From Sinai to the Jordan 

Modern people love mercy. Until blood shows up. Then suddenly everyone gets uncomfortable and starts trying to turn Leviticus into “symbolic spiritual metaphors” because the modern religious imagination prefers therapy language to sacrifice language.

But Scripture refuses to let humanity escape one terrifying truth… Sin costs blood.

Not because YHWH is cruel, but because the natural consequence of rebellion is death. And nowhere is that reality more intense than the Day of Atonement.

Leviticus 16 is not random ritual. It is one of the holiest, most frightening moments in all of Torah. One day. One man. One entrance beyond the veil. One nation waiting outside while the High Priest approaches the divine presence carrying blood.

The entire chapter feels dangerous. Because it is. YHWH literally begins the instructions by referencing Nadab and Abihu - the sons of Aaron who died offering unauthorized fire before Him (Leviticus 16:1). That is the warning hanging over the chapter. You do not approach holy presence casually and survive. Modern culture treats YHWH like an emotionally supportive life coach. Leviticus presents Him as blazing holiness dwelling behind a veil. That changes the atmosphere immediately.

Aaron cannot simply stroll into the Holy of Holies whenever he feels spiritually inspired. YHWH explicitly says: “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil… so that he may not die” (Leviticus 16:2). Not “IF he may not die.” THAT he may not die. The danger is assumed. And inside the Holy of Holies sits the ark. The covenant. The cherubim. The glory. And over the ark is the mercy seat.

This is one of the most misunderstood images in Scripture.

People hear “mercy seat” and imagine something soft and sentimental, like a plush couch at Grandma’s house with soft throw pillows and weighted blankets. No. The mercy seat sits above the Law. Above the testimony.

Above the covenant humanity keeps violating. And blood is sprinkled there. Why? Because mercy does not ignore justice. It covers it. That distinction matters violently.

Modern spirituality often imagines mercy as YHWH lowering His standards and pretending sin is not serious. But, biblical mercy is far more costly. Blood stands between holy judgment and guilty people. That is the mercy seat. And the imagery is terrifyingly beautiful. Inside the ark sit covenant tablets as testimony against rebellion and witness of divine holiness. Above it is blood, mercy and covering.

Mercy does not abolish holiness. Mercy makes survival possible in the presence of holiness. The tablets inside the Ark are often called "the Law," but Torah actually calls them the Testimony. Think about that. The witness. The evidence. The covenant document itself.

Those stone tablets testified to what YHWH had spoken and what Israel had agreed to. In a sense, they stood as witnesses for the covenant and witnesses against covenant breaking. The testimony remained. The evidence remained. The standard remained. And directly above that testimony sat the mercy seat. Not removing the witness. Not destroying the evidence. Covering it. That is an astonishing picture.

Modern religion often imagines mercy as YHWH throwing away the covenant and pretending the violation never happened. But the mercy seat tells a different story. The covenant still exists. The testimony still exists. The witness still exists. The standard has not changed. Mercy is not found by eliminating the testimony. Mercy is found above it. Covered by blood.

The Hebrew word translated "mercy seat" is kapporet. It comes from the same root as Yom Kippur. Atonement. Covering. Suddenly the imagery becomes overwhelming. The testimony below. The covering above. Blood upon the covering. And the presence of YHWH appearing above the blood.

The entire Gospel of the Kingdom is sitting there in gold and acacia wood. Humanity stands condemned by the testimony beneath. Yet YHWH chooses to meet His people above the covering. Above the blood. Above the place where mercy and justice meet. And notice what is not above the Ark. There is no throne of denial. No throne of lowered standards. No throne of "sin isn't really that serious." There is a mercy seat. Which means the testimony remains true. The violation remains real.

Holiness remains unchanged.

Yet mercy still triumphs. Not because justice disappeared. Because justice was satisfied. That will preach hard! Especially because modern Christianity often accidentally presents grace as divine indifference. As though YHWH shrugged at sin and decided standards were too stressful. No. Grace is expensive! Leviticus screams that.

And then comes the scapegoat.

One goat slain. One goat sent into the wilderness bearing the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:7-10, 20-22). Two goats. One atonement. The imagery here is enormous. Blood deals with guilt. The wilderness goat carries away uncleanness and exile imagery. Sin produces separation. Always. And honestly, the wilderness imagery matters deeply because Israel itself keeps flirting with becoming spiritually wilderness-like through rebellion.

The scapegoat carries impurity away from the camp because YHWH is teaching Israel something terrifying… sin contaminates sacred space. Modern people treat sin like a private lifestyle preference. Scripture treats sin like corruption spreading through holy space. That is why cleansing exists. That is why atonement exists. That is why blood exists. 

And then the High Priest enters beyond the veil. Alone. Not casually. Not confidently in himself. Not swaggering into the Presence like a spiritual influencer with a stage microphone and skinny jeans. With fear. With blood. With incense clouding the mercy seat “so that he does not die” (Leviticus 16:13). The incense creates a covering cloud over the presence itself, like the cloud over Sinai.

Again… Boundaries. Protection. Mercy.

Everything in the Tabernacle teaches the same lesson, that nearness to YHWH is astonishing… and dangerous. That tension runs through the whole Bible. People today often talk about “running into YHWH’s presence” with almost no category for holiness. Meanwhile in Scripture priests tremble, mountains shake, glory fills rooms, people fall on their faces, blood is required and access is restricted. Yet, the fear (not the afraid kind of fear - reverence, awe, and respect) of YHWH has nearly vanished from modern Churchianity!

But you cannot read Leviticus honestly and keep treating holiness casually. And, that is exactly why Messiah changes everything so dramatically. Because Hebrews grabs all this Tabernacle imagery and detonates it Christologically. Yeshua is the High Priest, the sacrifice, the mediator, the blood, the atonement and the one entering beyond the veil. Hebrews 9 says Messiah entered “once for all into the holy places… by means of His own blood” (Hebrews 9:12).

Do we understand how staggering that is? The earthly priest entered repeatedly. Messiah enters once. Animal blood covered temporarily. Messiah’s blood accomplishes fully. The earthly sanctuary was a shadow. Messiah enters the greater heavenly reality itself. And then the veil tears. Oh, the beautiful veil! The massive woven barrier embroidered with cherubim - guardians of sacred space - tears from top to bottom at Messiah’s death (Matthew 27:51). Not from bottom upward. From top downward. YHWH tears it. The barrier opens. Access changes. The garden begins reopening.

And suddenly Leviticus 16 starts blazing with prophetic meaning.

The mercy seat was always pointing forward. The blood was always pointing forward. The priesthood was always pointing forward. The Day of Atonement was always pointing forward. Toward the moment when the true High Priest would enter through His own sacrifice and open the way permanently. And yet holiness does not disappear. That is crucial! Modern Chrurtianity sometimes speaks as though grace abolished holiness entirely and replaced it with divine chill vibes.

No. Hebrews still says: “Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). Same God. Same holiness. Same glory. What changes is access through Messiah. Not the nature of YHWH. And honestly, this is where many modern distortions collapse. So many people want intimacy without reverence. Access without repentance. Mercy without transformation.

But the mercy seat itself teaches otherwise. Blood stands between humanity and judgment. That means sin is serious. Very serious. And yet mercy triumphs there. Not by abolishing justice. By satisfying it. And again, one of the most beautiful details is this: The mercy seat sits ABOVE the Law. Not instead of it. Above it. Mercy covers what the Law condemns.

That line alone could explode modern theological arguments into orbit, because Scripture never presents mercy and holiness as enemies. They meet together. At the mercy seat. In blood. And this entire terrifying, beautiful system sits right in the middle of the wilderness while Israel repeatedly rebels. Complaining. Idolatry. Lust. Fear. Unbelief. The camp keeps failing. But the blood keeps speaking.

And all of it points toward the greater reality still coming: the true Priest the true sacrifice the true entrance beyond the veil the true restoration of communion because the ultimate goal was never merely surviving judgment. It was restored dwelling. A holy God living among a redeemed people without consuming them. That is what the mercy seat was always whispering through bloodstained gold in the middle of the wilderness. The Law remains. The blood is applied. The presence descended. Maybe the battle between law and grace was never in the Ark at all. Maybe they were meeting together above it the whole time. The witness is still there. The testimony is still there. The standard is still there. And the blood is still speaking. Because of the Blood of the Lamb we are now able to approach God through His Son, our High Priest, Our Savior. Not as strangers, but as children of the Most High.

The question is: When the testimony bears witness against you will you be found keeping His Commandments and seeking first the Kingdom of God?

You are cordially invited to join Renew Your Strength Bible Study Group

 

 

The purpose of this post is to get people to think about what they believe and why they believe it, not debate who's right or wrong. To learn the revealed truth of God we must know and understand the true meaning of the words God inspired to be written. Use Strong's Concordance to check the original word before it was translated. Do your own research, make up your own mind, rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you. God always gives us a choice. We can choose to believe the Truth of the Bible, or we can choose the lies of the Adversary.